February to June, 2004 About the Mystery Class Study Background The Mystery Class investigation is an 11-week hunt in which students try to find 10 secret "Mystery Classes" hiding around the globe. The changing amount of sunlight at each site is the central clue.Students take an inspiring journey from knowing only sunrise and sunset times, to discovering exact locations of the 10 Mystery Classes. This investigation demonstrates that, as spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, day length changes everywhere on earth. Students see that these dramatic seasonal changes in sunlight affect the entire web of life. How to Participate Every Monday between February 2 and April 12, 2004, students will measure their local sunrise and sunset times. Using this information they'll calculate day length in their own hometown. On the same day, students at 10 secret Mystery Class locations around the world will also record sunrise and sunset data. Then, on Friday of each week, the data from the secret Mystery Classes will be posted. On April 23, you'll have a chance to predict where the 10 Mystery Classes are hiding! The only clue: As spring sweeps across the Northern Hemisphere, day length changes everywhere on earth. Materials Needed (Coming January 2004) Mystery Class Datasheet (11 copies) Mystery Class Graph 2004 (Download in either a PDF or Word) Alternatively, Make Your Own Mystery Class Graph (2 per student) 11 colored pencils or markers (one color per Mystery site and one color for your class) A source for local sunrise and sunset times Here's What You'll Do 1. Every Monday, between February 2 and April 12, 2004, record the time the sun rises and sets in your hometown. Your local newspaper should provide this information, or you may find it in a calendar from your area. Alternatively, look up sunrise/sunset times on the following Web sites: Locations Worldwide Locations in U.S.Only 2. Calculate photoperiod by counting the number of hours and minutes the sun is up. For example, if the sun rises at 6:50 and sets at 17:30, the photoperiod for that day is 10 hours and 40 minutes. 3. Record the sunrise and sunset times and the photoperiod each Monday at your hometown on a Mystery Class Datasheet. Then plot the photoperiod of your hometown on a Mystery Class Graph. Do NOT send your local sunrise & sunset data to Journey North! 4. Every Friday, Journey North staff will post the sunrise and sunset data they've collected from our 10 secret Mystery classes. Notice: The data you receive on FRIDAYS will have been collected on the same MONDAYS your readings were collected. Many teachers divide their class into 10 groups, and give each group responsibility for a Mystery Site. To provide practice for your student groups, use your local photoperiod as an example. 5. Using the remaining 10 copies of the Mystery Class Datasheet, record the data from each Mystery Class site on a separate Datasheet and calculate the photoperiod. Then plot the photoperiod from each Mystery Class on your graph. Use a different colored pencil for each Mystery Class. (You may want to make a large, poster-sized graph for your class, where student groups could plot their respective sites.) 6. Beginning in March, clues about the geography and culture of each site will be included with the weekly data reports. On April 23, students will race to predict the location of each Mystery Class. 7. May will be "Meet the Mystery Class Month". Each Mystery Class will introduce themselves on-line and you'll have a chance to correspond with them.... Who ever and where ever they are! Copyright 2003 Journey North. All Rights Reserved. Please send all questions, comments, and suggestions to our feedback form